


Something Fishy (Mer-Reincarnation!AU)

by Bloopydoo (UNDERTALESIN)



Category: Thomas the Tank Engine - All Media Types
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, M/M, Temporary Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-30
Updated: 2018-11-30
Packaged: 2019-09-02 18:32:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16792420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UNDERTALESIN/pseuds/Bloopydoo
Summary: After being lost at sea, Gordon wakes up in a peculiar set of circumstances. He has to get back home, but he's not quite used to swimming.





	Something Fishy (Mer-Reincarnation!AU)

**Author's Note:**

> Ayy so I showed this to Hoisinn and I haven't posted it yet so here you guys go. Happy 1st of December I guess. :)

Gordon was terrified.

He'd been on his way back to Sodor, travelling by ship from America, when an ocean storm had battered the ship.

They'd managed to keep going for another day before the ship had begun to show signs of dangerous leaks and hull damage. His crew were evacuated with the ship's, and the vessel was left to sink.

The water was lapping at his wheels.

The only thing running through Gordon's mind was the promise he'd made to Henry. "I'll come home safe dearest, don't worry yourself." He regretted the lie. All of the lies, the nights spent listening to Henry talk in his sleep and desperately trying to convince himself it was nothing more than a crush, the wasted time. Now they could have no more together.

The water was up to his boiler, lapping at the sides and seeping in.

He regretted so much, but more than that, he was fearful. He feared losing what little he could claim in this life as his. His records, his express… his family. Each and every little thing he had called his was to be ripped away, and Gordon was terrified.

The water was at his funnel.

This feeling was horrible, but there was nothing he could do. The salt stung his eyes and throat; it weighed down on his insides, an uncomfortable heavy pressure heralding his demise. He held no illusions: there was no rescue. He was dying alone, in the cold and merciless ocean. As he closed his eyes, his tears mingled with the water.

With a loud creak, his boiler gave way.

* * *

Gordon woke floating, rocked on tiny waves. He blinked, looking down at his body, only to find a strange sight. Arms, and hands, even a strong and muscled body that was terribly wrong for some reason. It just… didn't feel correct. A long tail with large, flexible fins joined said body at the torso; the scales glinting ultramarine in the sunlight. He flipped his fins experimentally, surprised by the strength of each movement.

It also smacked a woven bag against his shoulder.

Upon opening the bag, Gordon fished a large and rounded shape out of it. It seemed oddly familiar. A.. builder's plate? What was that? He read the front slowly, its text proclaiming something about a 'Doncaster' and 'Gresly'. Flipping it, there was a name and a number engraved into the metal plate. A 'Henry', and the no. 3.

The memories came rushing back, and Gordon nearly dropped the plate. How could he ever have forgotten? How could he have forgotten _Henry_?

A splash from behind him caught his attention. He spun, placing the plate in his bag as he did so, and came face to face with a young merwoman. She glared at him suspiciously. "Who are you?"

Gordon told her the truth, and she led him to her home. Upon entering, she picked up an oddly shaped crystal, and Gordon raised an eyebrow. "What is that for?"

She sighed. "It'll allow you to talk to Henry temporarily. You should tell him to spend as much time as he can near the ocean, we'll find him easier that way."

Gordon held out the builder's plate, and she touched the crystal firmly to the plate. Gordon suddenly wasn't with her anymore, and a certain someone was starting at him in shock. "Gordon?!"

* * *

Henry had been alone, mourning his lost love when Gordon had created the contact. He wasn't about to let him go easily.

"What happened? They said you died, Gordon! What's going on? Are you a-"

Gordon cut him off with a hug, or as close as he could manage with a great flipping tail in the way. "I'm alright. Sort of. But I don't have time to talk."

He gave a wan smile, and told as condensed a story as he could. "So basically I'm now a merman and I'm trying to find my way back to Sodor. Do me a favour and stay near the beach as much as possible, dear? It'd help, Henry."

Henry bit his lip, and nodded. "I'll do my best. Come home, Gordon."

They shared the hug for as long as they could, before Gordon began to dissipate. Gordon opened his eyes to find himself holding his builder's plate and staring into the mermaid's eyes. "What now?

"Now," she replied, "We find a way to England."

* * *

The other engines had refused to believe Gordon was still alive, and most had branded Henry as 'delusional with grief'. Edward was the only one who believed him, and would take Henry's lighter trains to allow the other engine to watch out for Gordon.

Henry spent much of his time by the sea, wishing his love home. Even when the other engines mocked him, he stayed and waited faithfully for Gordon to return.

* * *

After days of swimming, and a few detours to catch fish and gather kelp, they'd finally found their way to Sodor. Gordon swam right up to the shore, looking for Henry, only to find Edward watching him carefully.

He stopped, and stared. He'd almost forgotten how Edward looked. Deep down, it scared him.

Edward watched what was unmistakably Gordon swim up to the edge of the beach, and do a double take at seeing him here. He looked terribly confused, so Edward offered clarification. "He's on a goods train right now. He'll be back in an hour."

Gordon nodded, and ducking beneath the waves once more, disappeared from sight.

* * *

Henry came to a quick stop at the end of the track. Edward told him he'd seen Gordon, so where was he? He scanned the water intensely, not noticing the sapphire fins next to him until Gordon flicked water at his face.

For a moment, Henry was just stunned. Then a broad smile spread across his face. Gordon matched it, and dragged himself onto Henry's running board. He leant against Henry's boiler, and they stared out at the waves together. Henry couldn't stop the happy tears from rolling down his face.

* * *

Gordon stayed around Sodor, never straying far from Henry and Edward. He did gather shells from areas a few day's travel away as gifts but always returned to Sudrian waters. He didn't want to reveal himself to the other engines, and was content to wait in the many bays and inlets for time with his friends.

He also learned how to ensure Henry's transformation from the mermaid who'd found him.

A small, ornate seashell appeared engraved into Henry's bufferbeam.

* * *

Henry had known from the moment his wheels touched the bridge that he wouldn't make it across. The bridge cables swung wildly in the wind, and the sea below roared as its waves crashed against the rocks.

The rails shuddered beneath him as his pistons pounded, his wheels a blur as he desperately tried to reach the other side. His driver and fireman had been thrown from his cab, and he was thankful for that. He didn't want to cause more sorrow than he already would.

As the boards and metal beneath him began to warp and twist, as his trucks derailed trapping him on the bridge, he didn't notice the shell engraving begin to glow. Neither did he notice the stormy sky reflecting off jewel blue scales. All he could hear was the bridge collapsing beneath him.

As he hit the water with a loud crash, his smokebox cracked and his wheels mangled, his last thought was of Gordon.

* * *

Henry woke supported by salty water, floating on a seemingly endless expanse of velvet night. The stars twinkled gently above him, mirrored in the water below. A woven bag around his shoulders containing a metal plate was weighing him down, and the waves lapped gently at his body.

He was surprised to find a toned, strong body connected to an emerald green tail. He flexed his arms gently, quietly wondering why it felt so inconsistent, so different. His fins flipped side to side in confused agitation as he thought. Opening the bag, he read the front of the plate. Some 'Stanier' person, and a 'Crewe'. On the back was the name 'Gordon' in elegant script, with a number 4 engraved below.

The rush of memories hit him almost as hard as he'd hit the water when he'd fallen.

He spun, disoriented and terrified, and swam straight into a pair of strong and oddly familiar arms. He was tense, and nearly struck out at the figure. Gordon's voice stopped him immediately. "Henry, dearest, calm down please. You're going to hurt yourself."

* * *

After Henry's 'death', Edward took up Henry's seaside vigil. He waited, watching the sea every evening, looking for something only he could see.

Sometimes James would join him, and they'd simply stay like that, enjoying each other's company. Sometimes James would be there alone, a melancholic expression on his face.

Either way, the last time both stood upon the rails there was shortly before both were lost at sea in transit to Australia.

None noticed the matching blue-green seashells engraved on their bufferbeams, nor the ultramarine and viridian fins visible between the waves.

No one noticed the sky-blue and ruby-red tails join them in the surf.


End file.
